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Power management company Eaton has introduced a new Busbar Top option for its versatile xEnergy range of modular low-voltage switchboards.

This option allows the main busbars to run across the top of the switchboard beneath the top cover plate, which means that they can be easily accessed without the need to remove equipment even if, for example, the switchboard is mounted against a wall.

A key feature of the Busbar Top option is a new patented open-frame structure that allows the position of the busbar mounting rails to be freely selected. With this system, it is possible to mount up to a maximum 12 30/10 copper busbars with a total current rating of 4,000 A. As the busbars are readily accessible at all times, it is easy to make connections to them, which significantly reduces the time needed for installation.

“Busbar Top is a very useful option for switchgear designers,” said Bernhard Gegenbauer, Product Line Manager at Eaton, “as it provides an excellent solution for applications where access to the equipment after installation is restricted. Since the busbars are so easy to inspect, it is also an ideal choice for critical applications where preventative assessment needs to be carried out regularly.”

In the development of the new xEnergy Busbar Top system, Eaton has taken care to ensure complete compatibility of the new components with the well proven and widely used standard xEnergy system, which features conventional rear-mounted busbars. Both arrangements are highly modular, and are easy to extend to meet growth in the user’s requirements.

In line with other xEnergy switchboards, the new xEnergy Busbar Top versions provide exceptionally versatile mounting facilities for incoming and outgoing circuit breakers and for other equipment. Internal separation can be configured for Form 4b up to type 7, and provision is made for mounting two circuit breakers side-by-side in a single compartment. Incoming compartments have extensive provision for metering and up to four current transformers (CTs) can be fitted per phase.

xEnergy switchboards have been tested to demonstrate full compliance with the requirements of IEC/EN 61439. Busbar Top versions can be configured as either three- or four-pole assemblies with ratings from 630 A to 4,000 A and with busbar transient current (ICW) ratings up to 105 kA for one second or 65 kA for three seconds.